Some people still don’t believe that PHP can be used for large, successful projects, even though many top companies now use complex, high-scale back-end systems.
In any case, you have nothing to worry about. What do rapidly growing companies like Facebook, MailChimp, Slack, and Etsy have in common with established behemoths like Microsoft and Google? These businesses have a full-stack PHP infrastructure.
PHP provides first-rate support for developing both small and large mobile and web products; for example, Lyft uses PHP to power one of the largest ride-sharing databases in the world, and Slack uses PHP for the majority of its server-side application logic.
This article will introduce you to seven popular PHP-based websites around the world.
- Wikipedia
- Tumblr
- Slack
- MailChimp
- Etsy
- WordPress
Here’s what you should take away from this article:
PHP is here to stay with an ever-increasing demand amongst some of the largest tech leaders in the global economy.
Read on for details about industry-leading PHP users and how they’re putting PHP to work for them.
What is PHP?
A server-side scripting language created by Rasmus Lerdorf and released as an open-source project in 1994, PHP is known for its ease of use and intuitive syntax.
Here’s a quick summary of PHP:
- Hypertext Processor is an abbreviation for “PHP.”
- As an open-source scripting language, it finds extensive use in both niche and mainstream industrial applications.
- Unlike other scripting languages, PHP code is run entirely within the server.
- It has open-source compilers and extensions that can be used without cost.
PHP is a popular scripting language because it enables programmers to manage data efficiently and incorporate logic directly into the creation of web page content.
It’s also worth noting that PHP comes preloaded with a plethora of extensions that streamline developers’ communication with backend databases.
The language’s structure makes it easy to determine what information should be displayed on a given web page. It stores any data entered by the user in the database specified by the script.
PHP is essentially a programming language and an interpreter, two simple but interdependent parts.
Scripts are used by PHP and web developers to define server-side behavior and logic.
HTML markup documents, which are served at the web server’s front end, are a convenient place to embed these scripts.
The interpreter functions as a backend module of the webserver.
It takes the scripts a web developer writes and actively translates them into commands that the computer executes to produce the results the script specifies.
Main functions of PHP
The following are all tasks that PHP can perform without any problems:
- Producing dynamic, easily-updated page content
- Managing files on the server by making, opening, reading, writing, and closing them.
- Capacity to gather information via forms (a widely used feature, by the way)
- Communicating via cookie exchange
- To authorise and authenticate users
- Data encryption for privacy protection
What Are the Advantages of Using PHP?
Examine some of PHP’s best features as a server-side programming language before delving into the benefits it can bring to businesses:
- Applications written in PHP can run on a wide variety of platforms including Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OS X, and more.
- It works with just about any server running today (e.g. Apache, IIS, etc.)
- It’s costless and open-source. The official website for downloading PHP is https://php.net.
- The server-side performance and modular flexibility of PHP are both excellent, and the language is also very accessible to newcomers.
The Benefits of PHP
Adding PHP to your company’s server-side app development cycle will have a far more interesting effect on the business as a whole.
PHP is favored by developers because it reduces costs and boosts productivity without limiting the capabilities of teams.
Some advantages include the following:
PHP’s Open-Source Delivery Saves Budget
While modern developers are likely familiar with open-source languages, this presents a unique benefit for businesses hoping to scale their PHP development workflow.
There is no cost to use PHP, and there is no software to download or license. A large and engaged global community results from this easily accessible distribution.
Because of its long history (nearly 30 years), the open-source software community has access to more tools and better infrastructure, both of which are constantly improving.
There is no longer a need for developers to “reinvent the wheel,” as hundreds of ready-to-use PHP-based solutions are being released annually.
PHP Development Saves Time
PHP was developed as a partially object-oriented language, so it encourages code reuse.
The software development process can be sped up by using reusable PHP components.
There is less pressure on the team thanks to PHP frameworks like Symfony, CodeIgniter, Laravel, Joomla, and WordPress. These frameworks carry functionality and offer efficient and secure development processes.
With its inbuilt GET and POST functions, HTML and URL scripting, and other features, PHP has been well-suited for developing a wide range of web applications from the start.
This time savings means less busywork and an expedited return on investment for businesses.
PHP Code Is Flexible and Integrative
As was mentioned before, PHP code works on a wide variety of servers. PHP is cross-platform and can be used with Windows, Unix, Linux, and Mac OS X.
One of PHP’s greatest strengths is the flexibility it offers on the server.
More than 20 databases, including MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and many others, are supported by PHP’s backend. These servers include Apache, Microsoft IIS, Netscape, iPlanet, Caudium, Xitami, and Tornado.
The PHP framework makes it easy for businesses to create cross-platform applications without the usual compatibility issues.
Now, businesses can take advantage of their already existing IT infrastructure with minimal outlay.
PHP’s Lightning Speed Performance Helps To Retain Customers
Quick page loads are essential to retaining website visitors.
Users will quickly abandon a website that has slow databases, leaving a negative impression on them. The average human attention span is only six to eight seconds.
With its fast data processing features, excellent customization potential, and efficient integration with several custom management systems, PHP guarantees short turnaround times.
Differential Performance of PHP
As PHP was originally designed to generate dynamic web pages, its scripts are significantly more efficient at handling real-time issues than those written in other, more traditional scripting languages.
The simple fact that PHP scripts can be embedded in HTML files makes it possible to transform otherwise static website code into dynamic front-end applications.
PHP is a great language for developing dynamic websites from simple HTML documents.
7 Global Websites That Use PHP
1. Facebook
Facebook, the most well-known social media web app with over 1.49 billion active users, was built with PHP.
Since its inception in 2004, Facebook has taken advantage of PHP’s ability to generate dynamic content in a matter of seconds.
The original PHP code for the Facebook app was written by Zuckerberg and Moskowitz when the idea was conceived. As a result, many modern technology firms also use PHP.
In 2010, Facebook unveiled a transpiler called HipHop for PHP (HPHPc), a compiler that can convert one programming language’s source code into another.
HipHop for PHP takes PHP code as input and translates it to C++ before compiling it into binary form.
In 2013, the HipHop Virtual Machine (HHVM) took over for HipHop for PHP.
As a result, performance was greatly enhanced, and both the development and deployment processes were simplified.
See also: Node.js vs. PHP: Which One Should You Choose?
2. Wikipedia
Among the many popular public-facing informational websites, Wikipedia is a prime example of the widespread adoption of PHP and the widespread use of MySQL/MariaDB as their database management system.
They made the switch to HHVM in 2014, just like Facebook did, and now page data loads nearly twice as fast as before.
3. Tumblr
Tumblr has been called the “Meme Origin,” with its 325 million blogs and 555 million monthly readers.
The move to PHP7 in 2016 allowed Tumblr to take advantage of enhancements such as scalar type hints and return type declarations, as well as a significant increase in overall performance.
15 Organizations Making Effective Use of Node.Js is a Related Read.
4. Slack
Slack has been the de facto standard for team communication since its launch in 2009, when it was valued at around $4 billion. Today, it is used by more than 3 million people on a daily basis.
Slack uses PHP in its backend to maximise workflow efficiency, decrease the time it takes to process web requests, and increase the reliability of the software it uses.
5. MailChimp
For obvious reasons, one of the most successful email marketing companies bases its infrastructure on scalable PHP databases.
In 2014, MailChimp sent more than 400 million emails to its 7 million subscribers using PHP.
The email marketing powerhouse stresses, “It’s the only language we use for everything touching the production MailChimp application.”
6. Etsy
With over 45.7 million monthly buyers, Etsy has quickly risen to become one of the top ten most popular retail PHP websites in the United States.
In doing so, Etsy solidifies its position as a major PHP-based online marketplace. In the retail sector, Etsy is the most formidable competitor among the leading companies that use PHP.
They recorded their efforts to enhance the speed of web pages by experimenting with HHVM.
The static analyzer Phan was also released; it can detect PHP5/7 compatibility issues on its own.
7. WordPress
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that PHP is used by the most popular CMS to communicate with backend databases and retrieve content.
To sum up, PHP is used to retrieve critical components from the database and then display them in static HTML.
This paves the way for millions of daily users with no coding experience to make and use templates and drag-and-drop UI components for websites.
Related reading: React Native: 12 Successful Apps in Action
Conclusion
Because of PHP’s flexibility as a scripting language, businesses have been able to reclaim valuable hours each day, increasing their return on investment.
The rapid ascent of PHP7 and its continued popularity as a server-side language among leading technology and retail companies has made one thing abundantly clear:
PHP should be seriously considered by business and software development teams.
These top seven businesses used PHP in their development stacks in a variety of ways, but always with the best talent available to get the job done.
